"Governor Cuomo put forward a bold agenda to return New York state to its role as a progressive leader on women's health and rights," Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy told hundreds of advocates. "Over the years, New York has fallen behind on important women's issues, and for this reason, it is essential for the Women's Equality Act to become law this year."

Senate Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli also spoke at the rally. Stewart-Cousins said it was "absolutely not" true that the measure under consideration would endanger the operating licenses of Catholic hospitals that do not perform abortions.

The proposal's centerpiece is the Reproductive Health Act, which makes a number of fundamental changes to the abortion law in New York state, including allowing healthcare workers other than doctors to perform abortions.

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Silver praised Cuomo for including the measure as part of the Women's Equality Act he proposed in his State of the State message last week.

"We now have a partner we have needed to pursue the enactment of the Reproductive Health Act," Silver told the advocates. "We now have the partner we have needed to better protect women from abuse and to knock down the barriers to fairness and equity that women have endured for far too long."

"This legislation this bill does not simply update New York law or codify Roe vs. Wade," the Catholic Conference said in a bill memo released Monday. "It would usher in extreme and sweeping changes to abortion policy in New York state."

The group said that bill would permit third-trimester late term abortions on demand. Under current law, abortions are legal through 24 weeks, and after that only if the mother's life is in danger. They also said the bill would establish abortion as a "fundamental right" in New York, which would mean no restrictions on parental consent, taxpayer funding, or informed consent requirements before undergoing the procedure.

"What is not provided in the bill are protections for institutional providers, such as religious hospitals and other agencies that do not wish to be involved with abortion," the conference said. "The bill declares that 'the state shall not discriminate' against the exercise of the fundamental right to abortion in the 'provision of benefits, facilities, services or information.' In other words, it would permit state regulators, such as the State Health Department or State Insurance Department, to require support for abortion from any agency or institution licensed or funded by the state."

The conference said that claims the law is needed to protect access to abortion is unwarranted in New York, where 40 percent of pregnancies in New York City end with abortion.